When Joseph Porcelli volunteered for my eHope crew, it became well-nigh inevitable that I would inexorably be drawn into a position as a volunteer evangelist for his online nonprofit social network, Neighbors For Neighbors. 

Joseph is awe-inspiring - both online and offline - as a community builder and organizer.  His new social network has what I am coming to believe is the golden ratio:  10% dedicated hard-core pursuit of the right geek tools for the job and 90% dedicated to relationship building.

One of his duties in my eHope crew is to accompany me on long walks (a great aid to quick recovery from illness and surgery) and it's impossible to walk and talk with Joseph on a regular basis without getting excited about his current project.  Moreover, it's impossible for me to be this enthusiastic without appointing myself to be his volunteer team captain for outreach and organizing in my neighborhood.

My neighborhood - Beacon Hill, Boston - is unusually challenging for the would-be community builder, but I've been giving it a try.  This recently led to an invitation from the good folks at the Beacon Hill Friends House, because they've been puzzling over what neighborhood engagement and community mean for them.

I had a wonderful time, last week joining the Beacon Hill Friends at one of their dinners, brainstorming on these topics. At some point in the conversation, I devised scheme for bringing several community-based organizations together for a joint endeavor.

Thinking about my own very positive ongoing experience with eHope, a nonprofit that provides volunteer support to people experiencing a life threatening illness, it occured to me that we could use that as a focal point.

What if we went to Beacon Hill Village, and asked them to identify a member who could benefit from eHope services?

What if we recruited the core members of an eHope crew from the residents of the Beacon Hill Friends House?

What if we drew upon the Vilna Shul community and members of Beacon Hill / West End Neighbors For Neighbors to fill out the rest of the team?

What if we called upon the Beacon Hill Civic Association and the Beacon Hill Times to help is get the word out?

What if it were a really rewarding experience in community building, enabling Beacon Hill residents to help one of their own, and create relationships with an entirely new group of neighbors?

This is an opportunity to think and act collaboratively within a neighborhood, to use online social networking tools to connect folks who are live in physical proximity but feel trapped in a sort of mental diaspora in relation to each other. 

The aforementioned organizations based on Beacon Hill have huge resources in terms of local knowledge and social capital.  Neighbors For Neighbors and eHope have  not just knowledge but real wisdom about using online tools to support face-to-face relationships.  What if they all worked together?